After more than two years of recuperation, money and food were sufficient, and the army was well-trained. Emperor Guangwu decided to embark on the Northern Expedition.
He has courage and makes big moves.
The main battlefield: the Central Plains of the Huaihe River. He personally led an army of 200,000 people and marched in person. The first goal was to capture the southern Zhili prefectures north of the Yangtze River; the second goal was to compete in the Central Plains, aiming at Henan and Shandong; looking for opportunities to peek at northern Zhili. The battlefields are divided into: Huguang area. Yan Zungao was appointed as the general to conquer the captives, and Liu Wenxiu was appointed as the deputy general to conquer the captives. He led 60,000 troops. He first attacked the Qingning Nanjing invaders general Luotuo and Huangzhou where Babutai, the Duke of Zhenguo, was stationed.
The Second Prefecture of De'an; then attack Xiangyang and Yunyang, which are still well-established.
Divided battlefields: Sichuan area. Fan Youxian was appointed as the Pinglu general, and Li Dingguo was the Pinglu deputy general. He led 60,000 troops. He first attacked and destroyed Li Guohan and Li Guoying who were entrenched in Baoning Prefecture, and then wiped out Wu Sangui who was separatist in Long'an and Songfan.
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Auxiliary battlefield: Liaodong area. Conferred Yang Huai as General of Pingbei, led Hu Bo and Ruan Jin, Ping Xibo Dynasty. General Chen Ze and other troops of 30,000 troops stationed in Shenmi Island in Korea. Captured Pi Island and attacked Yizhou.
, threatening the three capitals outside the customs. He also ordered Tong Yangjia, the governor of Liaodong, to accompany him on the expedition.
In these four battlefields, the Lianghuai Central Plains battlefield and the Sichuan battlefield, the Ming army had an advantage in strength. Only in the Huguang and Liaodong battlefields, they fought with less and more. Zhu Hengjia specifically told Yan Zungao and Yang Huai not to be greedy for credit and to fight steadily.
The time for the expedition was set: May 4th, the third year of Guangwu's reign (1655).
He also ordered veteran Yan Tianfeng to stay in Nanjing.
The reason why we chose this year for the expedition was because of the disaster. Two years ago, a cold wave occurred in China, which was extremely cold. "Records of Northern Journey" records: On November 18, 1653, the canal froze, and the Wujiang Canal in the south was frozen.
Ice broke out, and the canals in the north were as frozen as the ground.
The north is the hardest-hit area, with more than three feet of snow falling on the flat ground. Rain and hail can be as big as a plate or as small as a bowl. Many people and animals freeze to death. It is also accompanied by earthquakes, droughts (characteristics of the Little Ice Age, cold waves in winter and droughts in summer), and epidemics. The south was also affected by the disaster. There was a kind of citrus in Jiangxi that was used as a tribute. Because of the cold weather, it froze to death and had to be replaced with another kind of tangerine. But overall it is much better than in the north. Huguang, Jiangxi, Nanzhi
Grain production in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangxi, and Guangdong has declined slightly, but production in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangxi, and Guangdong has remained the same. Yunnan and Annan actually had a bumper harvest.
There is also a large amount of food from Siam, Nanzhang, Chenla, Annan, Guangnan, Champa and other countries. Zhu Hengjia is not short of food.
The Tatars were short of food, but we, the Ming Dynasty, were not short of food, so we took advantage of his illness to kill him. So we chose the date of the expedition in the third year of Guangwu.
Chen Ze was not originally on the list of generals sent to Liaodong, but because Chen Ze was dissatisfied with Gao Minggui's surrender and massacred the city, he consulted Gao Minggui's book. Morally speaking, Zhu Hengjia was on Chen Ze's side in this matter.
How can I not be benevolent and righteous when doing things in our huge country? However, Taiwan is an uncivilized land. If there is no ruthless person like Gao Minggui to control it, I would really feel a little worried.
So they each played fifty pieces, issued an order to reprimand Gao Minggui, and transferred Chen Ze to Liaodong to fight. This also meant to protect Chen Ze. Chen Ze was an old general of Zhu Chenggong, but Gao Minggui was a "Great Western Thief".
It's not a faction. If you stay in Taiwan, you will inevitably suffer. It's better to transfer to Liaodong. This is a great general. If you don't use him, wouldn't it be a waste of my robe?
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, military men were domineering. In order to prevent generals from taking power, Zhu Hengjia deliberately created checks and balances in the army. The Ming army was vaguely divided into the old generals of Guangdong and Guangxi, the old generals of the Daxi Army, the old Chuang Army, the old Lu Jianguo Department, the Zheng Family, Li Chengdong's old Department, and Jin Shengheng's Old Department.
The surrendered generals are waiting on various hills.
Every time we go on an expedition, sand is added to the tops of the mountains to prevent one branch from becoming dominant. For example, the army that went to Taiwan included old generals from the Daxi Army like Gao Minggui; there were also old generals from the Zheng family like Zheng Cai, Yang Chaodong, and Chen Ze;
There are also old generals from Guangdong and Guangxi like Chen Qice. In this way, the coach's control over his subordinates will be weak, and it will be difficult to rebel.
For particularly large hilltops, such as the old generals of the Daxi Army, they were divided and transformed. Originally, Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, and Liu Wenxiu had equal status in the Daxi Army. Zhu Hengjia deliberately gave Li Dingguo the title of duke, but only gave it to Sun and Liu as marquis.
He divided the three people and reused the lower-status Daxi Army generals, such as Bai Wenxuan, Gao Minggui, He Jiuyi, Wang Guoxi, etc., to suppress Sun, Li, and Liu. Soon these hills were docile and surrounded the emperor.
This mountain turns.
In addition, they also insist on the separation of military and political affairs. The army only has the right to fight wars and has no right to interfere in local affairs. After a few times, the military can no longer be domineering. The emperor's skills can be used to the extreme!
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When the army was about to move, a happy thing happened: Emperor Shunzhi of the Manchu Qing Dynasty actually sent someone to negotiate peace!
The cold wave that lasted for nearly two years dealt a heavy blow to the Manchu economy. The treasury was so empty that it could run away with rats, and the population dropped sharply. Some scholars once studied that the national population dropped from more than 200 million during the Wanli period to 12000 in 1655.
Ten thousand. The data may not be accurate, but the sharp population decline is definitely true, especially in the north, where the population decline is faster. Affected by the enclosure order and the cold wave, people fled from north to south.
Emperor Shunzhi and his mother, the Empress Dowager Zhaosheng, discussed it and decided to use a delaying strategy, sending envoys to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty and crossing the river to rule. The negotiation did not have to be successful, as long as the Ming army could be delayed until the weather got warmer next year.
I can take a breath.
Zhang Xueli (from the fifth rank), deputy director of the Military Science Department of the Qing Dynasty, and Wang Gai, a pedestrian (from the ninth rank), came to Nanjing.
"What do you think about the coming of the captive envoy to Beijing?"
Zhu Hengjia asked the ministers with a smile.
"Your Majesty, the envoy's official position is very low, he has no sincerity and cannot be trusted," Sun Jinding said.
"Your Majesty, the low official position of the captive envoys just shows that they really want to talk. If they send high-ranking officials, they may confuse us. I think the situation of the Qing captives is not good, so I want to buy time through peace talks," Zheng Feng also said
Got it.
"Hahaha", Zhu Hengjia laughed loudly and happily, "How can it be so easy for the Tatars to negotiate peace? I will wipe them all out!"
Sun Kewang smiled and said: "Your Majesty, do you want to drive them out of Beijing?"
"No," Zhu Hengjia waved his hand, "treat the envoys well and agree to their conditions. Then, catch them off guard."
Sun Jinding, the second assistant of the Ming Dynasty, Qian Wei, the general affairs envoy, and Sun Kewang, the minister of the Concierge Court, warmly and friendly received the captive envoys Zhang Xueli and Wang Gai.
The position of General Secretary is quite high, with the third rank, and he has the power to make internal and external memorials and sealed complaints from the subjects. In the early Ming Dynasty, he had great power, but later, because important memorials were sent directly to the imperial court, and with the popularity of secret documents, it became "light"
"Yamen". Zhu Hengjia didn't want the minister to be too busy, so he asked Qian Wei to participate in the reception.
According to Zhu Hengjia's edict, Sun Jinding and others were very polite to Zhang Xueli and Wang Gai. They invited them to eat and drink, and agreed to row the river with them.
But when the captive envoy proposed to sign the peace treaty, Sun Jinding refused because the captive envoy's official position was too low and asked him to return to Beijing and replace him with a first-rank official to come and sign.
Zhang Xueli and Wang Gai returned to Beijing happily. Zhu Hengjia sent them many local products and asked them to convey their sincerity in peace talks to Emperor Shunzhi.
The envoy did not expect that three months after they left Nanjing, the Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition would begin.
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China is a country of etiquette, and everything must be justified. Before going to war, you need to write a denouncement of the other party to show the justice of your war.
Throughout the ages, there have been many famous works in this field. Such as "A Call to Yuzhou for Yuan Shao", "A Call to the School Department of General Wu", "A Call to Luozhou for Li Mi" and so on.
Zhu Hengjia ordered the imperial literati He Wuzou, Huang Zongxi, Wang Fuzhi, Gu Yanwu, Zhu Zhiyu and others to each write an essay and select the best for use. As a result, Huang Zongxi's essay satisfied him the most, so he ordered it to be announced to the world:
"Emperor Guangwu went to heaven to punish the captives"
Emperor Guangwu of the Ming Dynasty went to heaven to punish the captives and warned the people of China north of the river:
Since the Jiashen period, China has suffered misfortune. The imperial system has been overthrown, and the Tartars have been raging, which has caused the earth to sink and the Central Plains to be devastated. The beautiful mountains and rivers are occupied by foreign tribes; the elegant armors are mixed with fishy smells. We are barricaded in our tombs, our clothes and crowns are changed, and we are slaughtered.
People, plunder my wealth. Money is everywhere, like rats’ tails and monkeys’ crowns in beards, trying to make the people of China forget their roots. The destruction of the race is close at hand. All flesh and blood will not want to eat the flesh of captives and drink the blood of captives.
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Since ancient times, civilization has suppressed barbarism, but it has never been known that barbarism has conquered civilization for a long time. Therefore, the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty initiated chaos, and my Taizu decided to do so in one battle. The ancients said: The barbarians have no luck for a hundred years.
Since the three dynasties of Yu, five thousand years of civilization of etiquette and justice have been like the rising sun, shining in all directions. Is it possible that China is so big and the people of Kyushu are rampant and their clothes and hats are transformed into dogs and sheep at one time?
The destiny of the country is circulating, and China is reviving. It is the right time to expel the Tartars, restore China, establish laws and regulations, and save the people! I am the feudal vassal of Guangxi and cannot bear to see China fall and my ancestors be humiliated. I am recommended by everyone and become the rebel leader.
It has been ten years since we arrived in Guilin. We fought bloody battles with strong troops, saved the people from ruin, and restored the majesty of the Han officials. Today, everything south of the river has been recovered, worshiping the Xiaoling Mausoleum, and pointing the sword at Beijing. Unless I am warlike, I will not
How can the land of China be allowed to be polluted and smelly for a long time? Therefore, lead a righteous army to clean up the world, avenge China's shame, and protect the people.
If there are any bloody men who call for volunteers to help me in the Northern Expedition, I will recruit them as soldiers and recruit them into the regular army; if there are loyal and virtuous men who donate money to help pay, I will commend them with a banner and their fame will last forever; if there are those who have committed crimes and become prisoners of war, they will regret it.
, I will pardon all those who kill captives and surrender, and in view of their merits, they will be awarded officials and titles; if there are those who are threatened to surrender to the captives and abandon their weapons before the battle, they will be exempted from death. For example, the Mongolian, Jurchen, Maanghui and other tribes have the ability.
Those who know etiquette and justice and are willing to be Chinese subjects should be treated as one.
Sorry, you have become a slave, and your strength has been exhausted. It is time to take revenge and avenge the shame! The announcement is far away, and it is easy for the envoys to hear about it. Respectfully, this is a special edict.
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People are enlightened, who has no thoughts about the Han Dynasty? As soon as the message of the Northern Expedition came out, it immediately spread in all directions. North of the Yangtze River, all the righteous men with Ming Zuo in their hearts were excited and actively planned and planned to support Master Wang.
